


Choosing

by indigorose50



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Compliant, Confessions, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 03:26:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13538688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigorose50/pseuds/indigorose50
Summary: The "first words your soulmate says to you are tattooed on your body" Soulmate AU.Except Steve isn't Tony's soulmate.But who cares.





	Choosing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tonystarkssnipples](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonystarkssnipples/gifts).



> Birthday fic for tonystarkssnipples! She wanted a fic "where steve and tony AREN’T soulmates but they choose to love each other and be with each other, anyway". Hope this is what you were looking for, kid! Big fan of your blog. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The Feelings ™, as Tony referred to them, had been there for a while. Possibly from their first official meeting in Germany while apprehending Loki. After the Battle of New York, as some referred to it, the Feelings ™ only grew.

“Are you crazy?” Rhodey said the one time Tony casually brought up the subject, “You _have_ a soulmate, remember?”

How could Tony forget? The words were tattooed on his arm. Bland, as far as soulmate first word Tattoos went. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark” He remembered being tense every business meeting, every client lunch, every expo. So many people would say the phrase. When he finally figured out it was Pepper, he was relieved. Not because he’d found “the one for him”, but because now he could _relax_. Stop stressing every time he met someone new.  

Apparently that wasn’t how you were _supposed_ to feel when you met you soulmate.

From what Tony had researched, with JARVIS’s help, he was supposed to be giddy. Whole. Like an ache he hadn’t known he possessed was gone. None of that described how Tony felt about Pepper. He cared about her, no question, but he didn’t feel those intense emotions.

The Feelings ™ that he had for Steve Roger, however, _were_ that intense.

“Think you can have more than one Soulmate?” Tony asked casually.

Across the restaurant table, Rhodey huffed, “I don’t know. Can you have more than one soul?”

Tony sipped his drink and didn’t answer.

With a sigh, Rhodey leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, “Look, I won’t get in the way of your life. Do what you think is best. Just… _really_ think about it, okay? Pepper’s the one for you— it says so on your arm. Don’t throw her away on a whim.”

Nodding, Tony hurriedly changed the subject.

* * *

Next time he saw Steve, Tony was as subtle as he cared to be.

“Hey let me see your arm.”

Steve, who had been playing with a random bit of tech on the other side of Tony’s lab, looked up sharply. It was normal for Steve to join him as he tinkered.

It was _not_ normal to ask to see someone’s Tattoo.

“Uh, why?”

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“Why would I want to see yours?”

“Just get over here. It’s in the name of science.”

Rolling his eyes, Steve actually crossed the room and bared his arm to Tony. There, just above his wrist, was the word “Attention.”

“Huh,” Tony traced the words. Steve didn’t stop him, “Sounds army to me.”

“It was.”

Tony didn’t ask the question and Steve didn’t offer the answer. It didn’t take a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist to figure out who Steve’s soulmate was.

Tony continued tracing Steve’s wrist before trailing his fingers up Steve’s arm and resting on his shoulder. The Feelings ™ were creeping up on him. He’d done his thinking, like Rhodes’ had asked. “Weird though. That’s not the first thing _I_ said to you.”

Steve was quiet for a moment. Tony didn’t look him in the face, keeping his eyes on his own hand.

“…Does it matter?”

Then lips were on his and Tony felt the Feelings ™ _explode_.

Just like they were supposed to.

* * *

“I’m sorry, Pep, I really am—”

Pepper held up a hand and Tony clamped his mouth shut. They were in the kitchen. A steaming mug of coffee was at her elbow. She ignored it, staring hard at the tiled floor with her hands curled into fists. Was she going to punch him? More important, was he going to dodge?

Finally, she let out a shaking breath and ran a hand through her still tangled hair. “I guess I knew all along.”

“Knew?”

“I’m your _soulmate_ , Tony. I can read you like a book.” She smiled sadly, “I knew you weren’t 100% there. My friends would talk about that _moment_ when they found their soulmate and… we didn’t have that moment. At least, I don’t think _you_ did.”

She stepped forward and hugged him. Tony wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. This hug felt like a goodbye and it hurt more than he thought it would.

Pepper pulled away, still smiling, tears welling up in her eyes, “I’m glad you found someone who makes you happy in a way I couldn’t.”

It was the first time he’d questioned his decision since kissing Steve last night. As Pepper packed up and left, he’d almost taken it back a dozen times.

But that afternoon, being held by Steve in the same kitchen after explaining his conversation with Pepper, Tony knew he’d made the right choice.

* * *

Six months after Steve moved in, Tony was casually walking toward his lab when he caught something out of the corner of his eye: Steve, sitting in the living room, Sharpie marker in hand and thoughtful expression on his face.

Tony jumped over the back of the couch and landed beside him, “What cha’ workin’ on?”

Steve jumped and covered his wrist, “Nothing.”

 “Tell me~” Tony said in a sing-song voice. He leaned over and kissed the side of his neck

With a chuckle, Steven tried, halfheartedly, to push him away. “No, Tony.”

Tony kissed his way up Steve’s neck until he was just below his ear. Then he softly bit the soldier’s earlobe. “I bet I could _make_ you tell me.” Steve shivered and finally Tony backed off, watching him with a smirk.

 “I was trying to remember the first thing you said to me,” Steve said, fiddling with the marker.

“Why?”

“So I could, I don’t know, make it more official?” Steve gestured to the word on his wrist. Or rather, where the word _had_ been. Now it was a slim black box.

Anger bubbled up in Tony and he grabbed the marker. He tossed it across the room, ignoring Steve’s protests. In one motion, he had swung around to sit across Steve’s lap, hands on his shoulders.

“We don’t need Tattoos to make us official,” Tony growled.

“ _I_ know that but Clint was talking today and—”

“What did Robin Hood say?”

“Just that he was impressed we had been together for so long. Even though we weren’t… _meant_ to be. I think he meant it as a compliment, Tony, I don’t think he was trying to be rude.”

Tony tightened his grip, “So you want me to get a huge black box on _my_ arm? You want me to write in something _else_ like a first grader with his first crush?”

Steve wrapped his fingers around Tony’s wrists, “Hey, no, I don’t—”

“Because I don’t _care_ what my arm says, Rogers! I love you and I don’t need some ink to tell me that!”

Without warning, Steve had pushed and spun Tony so he was on his back across the couch, Steve hovering over him with a firm grip on his arm, “I’m sorry, Tony!” He said, voice just a bit louder than Tony’s had been a second ago “I just— I _want_ it to be you, okay? I wanted to look down and know it’s you I’m supposed to be with. I love you, _God_ I love you, but I don’t want to just be a first grader with a crush.”

Steve let go and rubbed a hand down his face, rocking back on his knees so he wasn’t pinning Tony down anymore. “I want this to be _real_ ,” he finished.

Tony sat up, watching his boyfriend carefully. He was going to _kill_ Clint.

Without speaking, he pulled on Steve’s wrist until Steve turned it towards him. Tony licked his thumb and started rubbing away the marker. It obviously didn’t vanish completely, it was permanent marker for fuck’s sake, but it smudged enough that he could read the word.

When he was done, he cupped Steve’s face to make him look at Tony. “ _Attention_ ,” he stated firmly. Probably not in the same way Peggy Carter had said it but it would do.

Steve looked confused, and then a smirk took over his face, ““Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony nodded, “See? We’re official.”

Steve laughed, “Guess so.” And he leaned forward and kissed Tony. Tony opened his mouth to him almost immediately, tangling his fingers in Steve’s short hair, trying to convey a promise he couldn’t put into words.

* * *

“This question is for Mr. Stark! Is Ms. Potts your soulmate? Or is Captain America?”

Tony tensed and cut his eyes to Steve. He had made it a rule to ignore press questions about his love life since he and Pepper broke up two years ago. But now they were at a press conference for the Avengers. This wasn’t his party.

At the podium, Steve didn’t even look at Tony. “This conference was called to talk about developments in—”

“Is it _true_ you two are _together_ even though you _aren’t_ soulmates?” cried another reporter from the back of the room.

Another voice piped up, “There are rumors that you _killed_ Ms. Potts so you could be with Stark! Is there any truth to that?”

“Have you both gone to Tattoo Readjustment theory? Are aware that that’s _illegal_ in the US?”

“ _Quiet_!”

Even Tony jumped. The room went silent. Steve turned and grabbed Tony, pulling him up to the microphones. Which was impressive considering Tony was wearing his full Iron Man uniform minus the face plate. Tony covered the mics.

“I thought Fury made it a law I wasn’t allowed to talk at all during these things.”

“Fury can kiss my ass.”

“Only _I_ can do that.”

Steve didn’t answer. He stood before the microphones, Tony next to him, glaring out at the reporters. “I love Tony Stark,” he stated, “I don’t care if no one thinks it’s right. I don’t care about whatever force makes these _stupid_ Tattoos.” There were some gasps at that. “I just care about Tony. I care about my happiness, his happiness, and that should be enough for everyone.”

He looked Tony in the eye, taking his hand, “I choose Tony Stark. Fuck my Tattoo.”

That seemed to break the spell. Dozens of voices cried out questions, insults, lies, and other things Tony tuned out. He raised Steve’s hand to his lips and pressed them to Steve’s knuckles. The Feelings ™ were welling up Tony’s heart. Camera’s flashed from every direction but Steve’s smile was the brightest thing to Tony.

“You’re getting corny in your old age,” Tony said.

Steve snorted, “I’ve derailed this whole conference.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Tony rested his forehead against Steve’s, “I choose you too, by the way.”


End file.
